DCCC graduate becomes first in family to finish college

Abigail Owens, who graduated from Davidson County Community College on Saturday, is not a woman who is scared to make leaps into the unknown.

BY SHARON MYERSThe Dispatch

WELCOME | Abigail Owens is not a woman who is scared to make leaps into the unknown.She conquered her fear of heights by going skydiving at the pleading of her best friend, and she has used that same personal strength to become the first person in her family to graduate from college. Owens was one of 1,425 graduates to receive a degree or certificate from Davidson County Community College during the commencement exercises Saturday morning. During her address to the students as the president of the Student Government Association, she stressed the importance of being proud of their accomplishments.“Go out and tell your story,” she told her fellow graduates at Richard Childress Racing Auditorium. “Capture that belief in yourself and the value DCCC has given your life. Never stop believing in that.”She reminded them that people with associate degrees are now earning more than people who have a bachelor's degree. She also said that people who attend community college first are more likely to continue with their education.Owens and the remaining members of the SGA, which is a group that represents the student body on the board of trustees, are all the first people in their families to graduate from college. The other members are Arron Adkins of Lexington, son of Jennifer and Scott Adkins, who will attend Appalachian State University to pursue graphic design; DeAries Jackson of Thomasville, son of Gladys Jackson, who plans on attending the University of North Carolina at Greensboro to study human resources management; and Ricsy Sanchez of Lexington and native of Honduras, daughter of Lidia Cruz and Amado Sanchez, who will attend UNC-Chapel Hill where she plans to study biology, with a goal of becoming a maxillofacial surgeon. During the ceremony, Owens received the Robert W. Scott Student Leadership Award. This award was established in honor of the former governor who later served as president of the North Carolina Community College System. The award is bestowed on students who demonstrate leadership on a statewide level.Owens, 20, is the daughter of Randy and Evelyn Owens of Lexington. Her father has worked at R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. for the past 38 years and will retire in December 2014. Her mom attended Wingate College and gave up working at Piedmont Airlines to stay home with the children after she married. Abigail Owens has one older brother, Seth. Owens was home-schooled by her mother until she enrolled in DCCC's dual enrollment program during her senior year of studies. She will attend UNC-Chapel Hill in the fall. Her ultimate goal is to become a social worker, specifically working in the area of human trafficking. “When I was 14, the president of Triad Ladder of Hope gave a presentation at my church where I discovered that human trafficking existed, and it existed in my own backyard. It just broke my heart, and I felt God was calling me to do something,” she said.Owens does volunteer work with Triad Ladder of Hope helping with fundraisers and events to raise awareness. Triad Ladder of Hope is a faith-based, nonprofit organization dedicated to the eradication of the exploitation, sale and enslavement of men, women and children. One of her passions is music. She began playing guitar at age 11 because her brother became interested in it, and in typical little sister fashion, she could not be left out. She quit formal lessons after two sessions and continued to teach herself how to play. She also plays the ukulele and keyboard. Not only did Owens carry a full course load with a 3.9 grade point average, she also holds down three part-time jobs. She works as an office assistant at a Christian radio station, leads the music for services at her church and leads music for a collective of college students at a church in Yadkinville. She also volunteers with Second Harvest Food Bank, Habitat for Humanity and the Salvation Army, where she plays her guitar instead of ringing a bell. “You'd be surprised how different people react to music instead of the bell,” she said. The commencement exercises were held at the RCR Racing Auditorium because of the chance of inclement weather. Five alumni of the college, one from each decade, were recognized as representatives of 50 years of graduates and included a member from the original class of 1963. Current graduates also wore pins and white and gold tassels in celebration of the anniversary. The keynote speaker was Dr. Dottie Burkhart, a former DCCC faculty member who taught English at the college for more than 40 years. She told the graduates to always pay it forward and to make education part of their journey.“Education gives us freedom to make choices,” she said. “I made a choice to return to school, and it made all the difference in my life.” Burkhart had originally planned on a career as an administrative assistant but switched directions when she started taking classes in English. She said it taught her how important it is to have skills in reading and writing. “Other skills are assets, but the ability to communicate is a basic necessity,” she said.The posthumous honorary degree that was to be awarded to the family of Christine Young Harris was postponed because the family was unable to attend. Harris, a Davidson County native, passed away in 2011 and bequeathed $7.5 million to the college – the largest gift in North Carolina community college history.

Sharon Myers can be reached at 249-3981, ext, 228 or at sharon.myers@the-dispatch.com.